Banff area: How to rough it royally at Skoki Lodge

Skoki Lodge, surrounded by magnificent mountain views, is a spectacular spot to ìget away from it allî.

Photograph by: Yvonne Jeffery
, Special to Postmedia News

Skoki Lodge, built more than 80 years ago, bills itself as the oldest commercial ski lodge in western North America.

Located inside Banff National Park, 11 kilometres from Lake Louise, it has room for 22 people.

The charm of the lodge is its rusticity. There is no road access, nor is there electricity or running water. Wood stoves and propane heaters provide warmth and candles and kerosene lamps provide light. Visitors in winter come on cross-country skis or on snowshoes and once they get there, they can either relax at the lodge or go off exploring the five valleys that converge at Skoki Lodge.

Charles Locke, the president of Skoki Lodge/Lake Louise Ski Area, says there is fantastic scenery on the way in, which takes about three hours on skis and four hours on snowshoes. But if visitors really want to see something breathtaking, he sends them off to explore the Red Deer Lakes and Red Deer River valley.

Of particular interest, he says, is a natural arch of rock that spans the river. “It’s just a beautiful spot,” he says, adding that it’s only accessible via trails from the lodge. Rates at the lodge are between $139 to $244 per person per night. You bring in your clothing, lodge staff handles the rest.

By the way, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, a.k.a. William and Kate, visited the lodge last summer during their trip to Canada.

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